KARACHI: The federal government on Tuesday kept petrol price unchanged, while raising the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs 5 per liter over the next two weeks in line with global oil prices.
The new prices came into effect from September 16, according to an official notification.
“The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has set consumption prices for petroleum products, based on price changes in the international market,” a statement from the finance department said late Tuesday.
According to the official statement, the price of HSD rose to Rs 251.29 after an increase of Rs 5 per litre.
Petrol is mainly used in private transport, small vehicles, auto rickshaws and two-wheelers. High fuel prices greatly affect the budgets of middle- and lower-class people, who consume gasoline primarily for transportation. On the other hand, a large part of the transportation sector depends on high-speed diesel.
Its price is considered inflationary because it is mostly used in heavy goods transport vehicles, trucks, buses, trains and agricultural machinery such as tractors, tube wells and threshers.
High-speed diesel fuel consumption in particular contributes to rising prices of vegetables and other food items.